Haq review | A promising courtroom drama too steeped in melodrama

What begins as a powerful premise, a landmark moment in India’s judicial history, gradually loses its way in excessive melodrama. Haq, directed by Suparn Verma, revisits the spirit of the 1985 Shah Bano case through the story of Shazia Bano (Yami Gautam), a woman abandoned by her husband Abbas (Emraan Hashmi), who decides to fight for her right to maintenance. What unfolds is both a courtroom drama and a commentary on faith, patriarchy, and the resilience of women who refuse to be silenced.

The film’s heart is certainly in the right place. It aims to celebrate a woman’s courage in the face of social judgment, but its execution doesn’t quite do justice to its intent. The first half spends too much time establishing Shazia and Abbas’s marriage—their meet-cute, wedding, and domestic life—details that do little to push the story forward. What could have been a tight, gripping legal drama turns instead into a somewhat filmi melodrama. A more disciplined screenplay and sharper editing would have helped the film shine brighter.

Still, there are flashes of brilliance that remind you what the film could have been. The final hour, particularly Yami Gautam’s moving courtroom monologue, redeems much of the narrative’s earlier missteps. It’s the kind of scene that makes you sit up, emotional and angry all at once.

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Emraan Hashmi delivers yet again. As Abbas Khan, he embodies entitlement with unnerving conviction. You despise him completely, and that’s the point. Yami Gautam, meanwhile, falters in a few moments but ultimately rises to the challenge, balancing Shazia’s vulnerability with quiet defiance.

Sheeba Chaddha, as Shazia’s lawyer, Bela Jain, is an absolute delight. Even in her limited screen time, she brings sharpness and humanity to every frame she’s in.

Haq oscillates between cinematic highs and narrative lows. It’s an earnest film that wants to say something important, and occasionally, it does. But if only it had trusted its story more than its melodrama, it could have been truly powerful. It means well, performs well, but writes itself into mediocrity. Watch it for Yami’s conviction, Emraan’s brilliance, and the poetic justice that comes.

Haq is set to release on November 7

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